The present invention relates to stable, preferably translucent, more preferably clear, aqueous odor-absorbing and wrinkle controlling compositions, articles of manufacture, and/or method of use, comprising solubilized, uncomplexed cyclodextrin; and cyclodextrin-compatible fabric wrinkle control agent; and, preferably, cyclodextrin compatible antimicrobial active and/or cyclodextrin compatible surfactant;, hydrophilic perfume providing improved acceptance; or mixtures thereof. As used herein, xe2x80x9ccyclodextrin compatiblexe2x80x9d means that the cyclodextrin and the other material, or active, do not substantially interact so as to eliminate the odor controlling ability of the cyclodextrin or the desired effect of the material or active. The odor-absorbing composition is designed to control odors caused by a broad spectrum of organic odoriferous materials, which may, or may not, contain reactive functional groups, and to preferably remain shelf stable for a substantial period of time. Preferably, the aqueous odor-absorbing compositions are for use on inanimate surfaces, especially fabrics, and more specifically, clothes, in order to restore and/or maintain freshness by reducing malodor without the need for washing or dry cleaning.
The present invention relates to stable, preferably translucent, more preferably clear, aqueous odor absorbing and wrinkle controlling compositions, articles of manufacture and/or method for use, e.g., on inanimate surfaces, primarily fabrics, and especially cotton fabrics. Such compositions can optionally provide a xe2x80x9cscent signalxe2x80x9d in the form of a pleasant odor which signals the removal of the malodor. Preferably, the compositions are sprayed onto fabrics, particularly clothes, to restore their freshness by reducing malodor and/or removing wrinkles without washing or dry cleaning. The aqueous odor-absorbing compositions are also preferably for use on other inanimate surfaces, such as household upholsteries, drapes, carpets, car interiors, and the like. They also can be used on, e.g., human and animal surfaces, e.g., skin, hair, etc.
Uncomplexed cyclodextrin molecules, which are made up of varying numbers of glucose units provide the absorbing advantages of known absorbent deodorizing compositions without harmful effects to fabrics. While cyclodextrin is an effective odor absorbing active, some small molecules are not sufficiently absorbed by the cyclodextrin molecules because the cavity of the cyclodextrin molecule may be too large to adequately hold the smaller organic molecule. If a small sized organic odor molecule is not sufficiently absorbed into the cyclodextrin cavity, a substantial amount of malodor can remain. In order to alleviate this problem, low molecular weight polyols can be added to the composition to enhance the formation of cyclodextrin inclusion complexes. Furthermore, optional water soluble metal salts can be added to complex with some nitrogen-containing and sulfur-containing malodor molecules.
Since cyclodextrin is a prime breeding ground for certain microorganisms, especially when in aqueous compositions, it is preferable to include a water-soluble antimicrobial preservative, which is effective for inhibiting and/or regulating microbial growth, to increase storage stability of clear, aqueous odor-absorbing solutions containing water-soluble cyclodextrin, when the composition does not contain an antimicrobial material as described hereinafter.
It is desirable to provide further improvements such as a cyclodextrin compatible antimicrobial active that provides substantial kill of organisms that cause, e.g., odor, infections, etc. It is also desirable that the compositions contain a cyclodextrin compatible surfactant to promote spreading of the odor absorbing composition on hydrophobic surfaces such as polyester, nylon, etc. as well as to penetrate any oily, hydrophobic soil for improved malodor control. Furthermore, it is desirable that the cyclodextrin-compatible surfactant provide in-wear electrostatic control. It is more preferable that the odor absorbing composition of the present invention contain both a cyclodextrin-compatible antibacterial active and a cyclodextrin-compatible surfactant. A cyclodextrin-compatible active is one which does not substantially form a complex with cyclodextrin in the composition, at the usage concentration, so that an effective amount of both the free, uncomplexed active and free, uncomplexed cyclodextrin are available for their intended use. Furthermore, it is desirable to include a humectant to maintain a desirable moisture level in cotton fabrics while they dry to maximize dewrinkling.
The present invention relates to a stable, preferably translucent, more preferably clear, aqueous odor-absorbing and wrinkle controlling composition, odor control and wrinkle control methods and articles of manufacture that use such odor-absorbing and wrinkle controlling composition, preferably for use on inanimate surfaces, especially fabrics comprising:
(A). an effective amount to absorb malodors, typically from about 0.01% to about 20% by weight of the composition, with concentrated compositions which are meant to be diluted containing from about 3% to about 20%, preferably from about 5% to about 10% by weight of the composition, and, for more dilute xe2x80x9cusage conditionsxe2x80x9d compositions, a range of from about 0.01% to about 5%, preferably from about 0.1% to about 3%, more preferably from about 0.5% to about 2%, by weight of the usage composition, of solubilized, uncomplexed cyclodextrin;
(B). optionally, an effective amount to improve the performance of the composition, preferably from about 0.05% to about 5%, more preferably from about 0.1% to about 3%, and even more preferably from about 0.2% to about 1.5%, by weight of the usage composition, of cyclodextrin compatible surfactant that preferably provides a surface tension of from about 20 dyne/cm to about 60 dyne/cm, preferably from about 20 dyne/cm to about 45 dyne/cm (with concentrated compositions having a level of from about 0.1% to about 15%, preferably from about 0.2% to about 8%, more preferably from about 0.3% to about 5%, by weight of the concentrated solution, of cyclodextrin-compatible surfactant);
(C). optionally, an effective amount, to kill, or reduce the growth of microbes, of cyclodextrin compatible and water soluble antimicrobial active, preferably from about 0.001% to about 0.8%, more preferably from about 0.002% to about 0.3%, even more preferably from about 0.003% to about 0.2%, by weight of the usage composition, and preferably selected from the group consisting of halogenated compounds, cyclic nitrogen compounds, quaternary compounds, and phenolic compounds (with concentrated compositions having a level of from about 0.003% to about 2%, preferably from about 0.01% to about 1.2%, more preferably from about 0.1% to about 0.8%, by weight of the concentrated solution, of cyclodextrin-compatible and water soluble antimicrobial active);
(D). optionally, but preferably, an effective amount to provide olfactory effects of perfume, typically from about 0.003% to about 0.5%, preferably from about 0.01% to about 0.3%, more preferably from about 0.05% to about 0.2%, by weight of the usage composition of hydrophilic perfume, containing at least about 50%, preferably at least about 60%, more preferably at least about 60%, even more preferably at least about 70%, and yet more preferably at least about 80%, by weight of the perfume of perfume ingredients that have a ClogP of less than about 3.5 and optionally, a minor amount of perfume ingredients selected from the group consisting of dodecahydro-3a,6,6,9a-tetramethyl-naphtho(2,1-b)furan, 2-ethyl-4-(2,2,3-trimethyl-3-cyclopenten-1-yl)-2-buten-1-ol-benzyl salicylate, butyl anthranilate, 2-ethyl-4-(2,2,3-trimethyl-3-cyclopenten-1-yl)-2-buten-1-ol-damascenone, alpha-damascone, gamma-dodecalactone, ebanol, 3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexyl-ethyl ether, cis-3-hexenyl salicylate, alpha-ionone, beta-ionone, alpha-isomethylionone, para-tertiary-butyl-alpha-methyl hydrocinnamic aldehyde, methyl nonyl ketone, gamma-undecalactone, undecylenic aldehyde, and mixtures thereof;
(E). optionally, but preferably, from about 0.01% to about 3%, more preferably from about 0.05% to about 1%, and even more preferably from about 0.1% to about 0.5%, by weight of the usage composition of low molecular weight polyol;
(F). optionally, an effective amount to assist in antimicrobial action of aminocarboxylate chelator; preferably from about 0.001% to about 0.3%, preferably from about 0.01% to about 0.1%, more preferably from about 0.02% to about 0.05%, by weight of the usage composition;
(G). optionally, but preferably, an effective amount of metallic salt, preferably from about 0.1% to about 10%, more preferably from about 0.2% to about 8%, even more preferably from about 0.3% to about 5% by weight of the usage composition, especially water soluble copper and/or zinc salts, for improved odor benefit;
(H). optionally, an effective amount of enzyme, from about 0.0001% to about 0.5%, preferably from about 0.001% to about 0.3%, more preferably from about 0.005% to about 0.2% by weight of the usage composition, for improved odor control benefit;
(I). optionally, an effective amount of solubilized, water-soluble, antimicrobial preservative, preferably from about 0.0001% to about 0.5%, more preferably from about 0.0002% to about 0.2%, most preferably from about 0.0003% to about 0.1%, by weight of the composition;
(J). an effective amount of cyclodextrin compatible fabric wrinkle control agent, preferably from about 0.05% to about 5%, more preferably from about 0.2% to about 3%, even more preferably from about 0.3% to about 2%, by weight of the usage composition; and
(K). aqueous carrier,
said composition preferably containing at least one of (B) and (C) and preferably being essentially free of any material that would soil or stain fabric under usage conditions, and/or preferably having a pH of more than about 3, more preferably more than about 3.5.
The present invention also relates to concentrated compositions, wherein the level of cyclodextrin is from about 3% to about 20%, more preferably from about 5% to about 10%, by weight of the composition which are diluted to form compositions with the usage concentrations of cyclodextrin of, e.g., from about 0.1% to about 5%, by weight of the diluted composition, as given hereinabove, which are the xe2x80x9cusage conditionsxe2x80x9d.
The present invention also relates to the compositions incorporated into a spray dispenser to create an article of manufacture that can facilitate treatment of articles and/or surfaces with said compositions containing uncomplexed cyclodextrin and other optional ingredients at a level that is effective, yet is not discernible when dried on the surfaces. The spray dispenser comprises manually activated and non-manual operated spray means and a container containing the odor-absorbing composition.
The present invention also comprises the use of small particle diameter droplets of the compositions herein, even those which do not contain (B) or (C), to treat surfaces, especially fabrics, to provide superior performance, e.g., the method of applying the compositions to fabrics, etc. as very small particles (droplets) preferably having average particle sizes (diameters) of from about 10 xcexcm to about 120 xcexcm, more preferably from about 20 xcexcm to about 100 xcexcm.
In another aspect of the invention herein, compositions that contain combinations of water soluble antimicrobial actives, especially those described hereinafter, and especially the bis-biguanide alkane compounds described hereinafter, and the surfactants described hereinafter, especially the polyalkylene oxide polysiloxanes described hereinafter provide superior antimicrobial action in aqueous solutions, either by themselves, or in combination with the other ingredients, including the cyclodextrin.